Princeton University Athletics
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Men's Volleyball Begins Key Homestand With Sunday Showdown Against Juniata
March 18, 2011 | Men's Volleyball
The Princeton men's volleyball team will begin its biggest homestand of the season Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. against a familiar foe in Juniata. While much of its Tait Division future will be determined in a home pair against Penn State and Saint Francis next weekend, Princeton will be seeking some much-needed positive energy as it takes on the Eagles.
The last time these two teams played at Dillon Gym, the result was a 3-2 thriller won by the home team. Princeton rallied from losses of 33-31 and 30-27 to take the match 30-24, 30-23, 15-13. Current senior co-captain Vincent Tuminelli was the driving force in the match with 24 kills and a .477 hitting percentage, while sophomore Michael Dye had 14 kills, five blocks and hit .579 for the match.
Juniata has been one of Princeton's top rivals over the last decade, but this will be the first meeting between the two programs after the Eagles were relegated to the Hay Division following the 2010 season. Juniata has done a nice job bouncing back and looks in favorable position to return to the EIVA postseason. The Eagles are 12-9 overall and 5-0 in the division, which includes a recent 3-1 win over Hay rival Harvard.
Juniata was led by Ross Madden in that win; Madden recorded 18 kills and hit .571, while teammate Ben Wolff added 10 kills and four blocks. In the 3-2 Princeton win last season, Wolff had 14 kills and a team-best six blocks.